Review by Iowa AT
Email for Everybody ★★★★★
by Iowa AT - Version 4.0 - Dec 6, 2012
PictureCanTalk is an important tool for significantly disabled teenagers to participate in social media. It can be configured to serve as a symbol-based email program with speech feedback for individuals with limited literacy skills. It took a little time to learn how to set-up PictureCanTalk as there are many options and settings, but worth the effort. Although it can serve other purposes, such as choice-making and matching, its power is enabling individuals with significant disabilities to email friends and family.
by Iowa AT - Version 4.0 - Dec 6, 2012
PictureCanTalk is an important tool for significantly disabled teenagers to participate in social media. It can be configured to serve as a symbol-based email program with speech feedback for individuals with limited literacy skills. It took a little time to learn how to set-up PictureCanTalk as there are many options and settings, but worth the effort. Although it can serve other purposes, such as choice-making and matching, its power is enabling individuals with significant disabilities to email friends and family.
Review by Rick Johnstone
Finally The AAC App We Needed ★★★★★
by Rick Johnstone (the original) - Version 3.7 - Aug 16, 2012
After suffering from analysis paralysis trying to figure out which of the hundreds of AAC apps would meet the needs of our two year old daughter with apraxia (and buying a few that didn't), I'm thrilled with Picture Can Talk. Once I figured out the set up, it was easy to upload any and every picture we could want (in addition to the huge library the app comes with), record my own voice to go with the pictures, and get her set to go. It's been a very simple transition from the PECS board she was using at home and in therapy. While it is simple enough for her to use at age two, it has tremendous room for growth and I have no worries about her outgrowing it. The developer has been wonderful and responsive to my questions about the app. Extremely happy with with this app and excited to have a new way for our daughter to share her thoughts with us.
by Rick Johnstone (the original) - Version 3.7 - Aug 16, 2012
After suffering from analysis paralysis trying to figure out which of the hundreds of AAC apps would meet the needs of our two year old daughter with apraxia (and buying a few that didn't), I'm thrilled with Picture Can Talk. Once I figured out the set up, it was easy to upload any and every picture we could want (in addition to the huge library the app comes with), record my own voice to go with the pictures, and get her set to go. It's been a very simple transition from the PECS board she was using at home and in therapy. While it is simple enough for her to use at age two, it has tremendous room for growth and I have no worries about her outgrowing it. The developer has been wonderful and responsive to my questions about the app. Extremely happy with with this app and excited to have a new way for our daughter to share her thoughts with us.
Review by Jocelyne Germain
Jocelyne is a customer from Canada. She speaks French and everything she setup in PictureCanTalk is in French. She has also written a manual and shared her strategies on how to setup the boards with her french community. Click here to see the works. In addition, she wrote a blog on PictureCanTalk. I have spotted the following quotes "C’est donc un incontournable, un trésor caché parmi la panoplie d’applications disponibles dans l’AppleStore. L’essayer, c’est l’adopter!". I went to Google Translate and here's the translation in English "This is a must, a hidden treasure among the range of applications available in the Apple. Try it, love it!".
I am truly grateful especially when we haven't even met and we are 12 hours apart in terms of time zone.
Here's her review on Canadian AppStore :-
Really useful application! Wow! - ★★★★★
“Best application in its category! Easy to learn, easy to use. Excellent technical support. Back-up easy to another device (ipad, iphone, ipod touch)...”
I am truly grateful especially when we haven't even met and we are 12 hours apart in terms of time zone.
Here's her review on Canadian AppStore :-
Really useful application! Wow! - ★★★★★
“Best application in its category! Easy to learn, easy to use. Excellent technical support. Back-up easy to another device (ipad, iphone, ipod touch)...”
Review by Serena O'Malley
Serena has told me that her son is making better and quicker progress with PictureCanTalk than he would otherwise. It's really encouraging and fulfilling to hear that. Here's a part of her feedback sent to me:-
"This application has been fantastic for my son as he transitions from a PECS book to an iPad. With very little help, he was able to identify his needs and get them met. The program is flexible and allows us to customize each of the buttons just for him, which is especially great on days when we bring in a new snack or motivator to therapy or school. It takes less than a minute to snap a picture with the iPad, add text, record my voice and add it to his page. It's really been invaluable at providing Michael with a 'voice' both at school and at home."
Here's her review on US AppStore :-
Fantastic communication app! ★★★★★
by WarriorMom1 - Version 3.7 - Jul 9, 2012
This application was recommended to us by our school district assistive technology director. My son is 4 1/2, and nonverbal and autistic. He's been using a PECS book to communicate his basic needs for a while, but we couldn't find a good app to use to transition him from a PECS book to an iPad until now. This program was very easy for my son to learn to use, and all of his therapists (speech, ABA) as well as his school teacher just adore it. I really couldn't have been more pleased with how easy it was for Michael to learn to navigate through the app to tell us what he wanted. It finally gave him an actual voice! The app developer went WAY above and beyond for us, creating a how-to you tube video to help me personalize it, and then doing an update with specific things that I'd asked for that allowed us to change certain settings. Our son's school liked it so much that they've added it to all of their iPads, and now, so has his Speech Pathologist. Picture Can Talk is easy to set up, easy to customize, and the many options in the settings allow it to be set up for the most basic user or a more advanced one. I just can't say how thrilled I am that our little guy can now use an iPad to communicate his basic wants and needs.
"This application has been fantastic for my son as he transitions from a PECS book to an iPad. With very little help, he was able to identify his needs and get them met. The program is flexible and allows us to customize each of the buttons just for him, which is especially great on days when we bring in a new snack or motivator to therapy or school. It takes less than a minute to snap a picture with the iPad, add text, record my voice and add it to his page. It's really been invaluable at providing Michael with a 'voice' both at school and at home."
Here's her review on US AppStore :-
Fantastic communication app! ★★★★★
by WarriorMom1 - Version 3.7 - Jul 9, 2012
This application was recommended to us by our school district assistive technology director. My son is 4 1/2, and nonverbal and autistic. He's been using a PECS book to communicate his basic needs for a while, but we couldn't find a good app to use to transition him from a PECS book to an iPad until now. This program was very easy for my son to learn to use, and all of his therapists (speech, ABA) as well as his school teacher just adore it. I really couldn't have been more pleased with how easy it was for Michael to learn to navigate through the app to tell us what he wanted. It finally gave him an actual voice! The app developer went WAY above and beyond for us, creating a how-to you tube video to help me personalize it, and then doing an update with specific things that I'd asked for that allowed us to change certain settings. Our son's school liked it so much that they've added it to all of their iPads, and now, so has his Speech Pathologist. Picture Can Talk is easy to set up, easy to customize, and the many options in the settings allow it to be set up for the most basic user or a more advanced one. I just can't say how thrilled I am that our little guy can now use an iPad to communicate his basic wants and needs.
Review by Dr. Robin Parker
Dr. Robin Parker @Techinspecialed.com is a Program Professor and Clinical Supervisor in the Graduate Programs in Speech, Language, and Communication at Nova Southeastern University. She also is the Senior Director of the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD) at NSU.
“The development of this app took into account many educational, communication, and technical factors…. a great option for beginning a comprehensive visual support program for communication for individuals with special needs. The apps support communication at all levels and there is potential for the apps to meet all current and future communication needs. The apps are fairly easy to use technically and are fully customizable so they can work for a variety of ages and levels.”.
Full review report at http://t.co//tKznDRKI from http://techinspecialed.com
“The development of this app took into account many educational, communication, and technical factors…. a great option for beginning a comprehensive visual support program for communication for individuals with special needs. The apps support communication at all levels and there is potential for the apps to meet all current and future communication needs. The apps are fairly easy to use technically and are fully customizable so they can work for a variety of ages and levels.”.
Full review report at http://t.co//tKznDRKI from http://techinspecialed.com
Review by iHeartThisApp
"Each individual needs will be unique and that is why this app’s strongest feature is its customizability. Another valuable tool is the youtube videos that the developers have provided. The tutorial PictureCanTalk videos online are useful especially when caregivers will use it for the first time. You can view the Youtube videos here: http://t.co/mx6qPEy4. The final characteristic that I like about the app is that it is obviously made up to PECS and AAC standards, values, and principles thus making it appropriate to be used as a communication tool."